Faded ~ Book 1 By: Jess Rogers

5. Culprit's End

It was the next morning and Luna is about to carry out her plan to get Rachel's phone number to cross check with the lead that Adam managed to source.

Luna arrived at Economics and Rachel was no where to be seen the whole lesson. Rachel was always in class, everyday, just not today.

What the heck, why is she not here. This is really suspicious and I will get to the bottom of this. Thought Luna.She had to figure out what was going on here and why, she needed to see Adam right now.

'Hey Ady, we have an issue. Meet me in the library in 5.' Luna pressed send button on her phone and made her way to the library. 

Luna had now waited 15 minutes and there was still no sign of Adam anywhere. He wouldn't blow her off would he? But wait this was strange. Culprit is missing and so is Adam. Luna switched her phone on and went back to the text, 'Sent' but still unseen. Something was off here and she had a sick sense for these things. She needed to find Adam and soon. 

Knock Knock, Luna knocked on Adam's dorm door... no answer... Knock Knock, ... still no answer. Luna pressed her ear to his door and listened closely, nothing. Finally she barged in. Adam was no where to be seen, not in the bathroom, not the cafeteria, not in his dorm. Luna felt her heart skip a beat. She searched, under the bed - shoes, in the bathroom - empty, under his bed sheets - bingo, Adam's cell phone with her text in the notifications bar. Adam never went anywhere without his phone, not even to the toilet. Luna slipped his phone into her jacket pocket and decided to look for him off campus. 

Luna walked out the front gates and around the corner, she found herself between two buildings with a dark alley that ran between them, cautiously she took one, two, three, four, slow steady steps into the shadows that seemed to move in the falling twilight. 

Luna was smart and was good at Karate and sword fighting so she brought her sword with her. Her sword was long, heavy but razor sharp. It gleamed in the moonlight and had ancient symbols carved into them, the symbols were clean and precise, they looked like a form of calligraphy. She knew that the symbols were Greek for the ancient gods like, Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes, Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena.

She crept down the alley looking for any sign of Adam. Any clue at all. There. A single drop of blood. Luna was now scared for her friends life. 

She followed the faint blood trail to butchery down the way. Damn it! She thought, it wasn't anything to be concerned about.

Ping. It was Luna's cell phone. 1 unread message. It was from Adam. 

'Hey Lu, sorry to have worried you. I went to the store to get some snacks for a movie night for you and me! Meet me at mine in 1 hour. See ya bestie!'

Huh that's really weird. Luna thought. 

"Hey Ady, I was so worried about you, what the hell. I went looking for you in a  dark alley and got you're text 4 hours after you disappeared." said Luna.

"Lu, i'm fine. I told you I was at the shops." Said Adam. Luna wasn't convinced at all. You don't disappear off campus for four hours and say you went shopping. Something was going on here. Who is he protecting.

"Adam, who are yo-" In the middle of Luna's sentence he held up his finger to his lips signalling for her to be quiet. He grabbed a piece of paper and wrote. ' I'll explain later, I am under active voice surveillance, you need to pretend like  were just going to watch a movie. Please my family depends on this. 

Luna nodded.

"Haha got you, so what are we watching?" Luna acted.

"Hmm, I chose some of the best, Ghost Busters or Twilight or Truth Or Dare-" he said.

"Twilight." said Luna

"Alright, The Twilight Saga it is." he said.

As the movie played Adam explained that Rachel Adams had gone on a 'walk' with him then when they were off campus she threw him against a wall and held a blade to his throat and threatened to kill his family if he told anyone about his lead about her being the spy . Then like an absolute sicko she took his finger and cut a deep wound into it and that was by the butchery, she said it would be a steady reminder to keep his mouth shut about the lead and to lie to Luna about her being a suspect. She told him to tell Luna that the lead was wrong and that he had traced back her history and she was completely clear.

Luna was shocked but was forced not to say anything as Adam was equipped with hidden microphones all over. 

Adam was smart and when ever they would write on the piece of paper he would loudly crunch popcorn to avoid any suspicion that Rachel might have that they were communicating in any way about the wrong thing. Adam explained that they were not to text about this either as he knew that Rachel was a top grade hacker and that she was told to roll with the Goulies (A violent biker gang that raided bars and caused trouble on the streets) and that she would get paid to go to school if she gave Intel to them about wealthy students, that attended their school.

Luna assured Adam that things were going to be okay and left after the movie back to her dorm.

Luna fell asleep.

Emergency School Assembly the next morning... 

The headmaster walked up to the podium and spake in very proper English.

"Good morning to you all. I have some horrible news about a fellow student. Rachel Adams' body was found last night outside a parking lot by a butchery. She was brutally mutilated and was shredded by what seemed to be a knife. We bear our hearts to her and her family and may everyone keep safe and report to your dorms by 7 pm every evening until the killer is caught. Until further notice, you are dismissed."

Luna and Adam looked at each other both pale as a white sheet and walked out of the hall soundlessly.